Nate Michael enters his second season at Cleveland State as the program's Director of Player Development and Video Operations. In his role, Michael oversees the capturing and editing of all film and assists with developing scouting reports for all opponents. 

In his first season, Michael helped the Vikings to a third consecutive season of 20 wins or more and a third straight trip to the postseason. The team earned a spot in the College Basketball Invitational, marking the first appearance in that tournament in school history. 

Prior to his arrival at Cleveland State, Michael spent the previous three seasons at Kansas State. He served as a graduate student manager in his first two seasons and as Video Coordinator in his final season with the Wildcats in 2021-22. 

Michael concluded his playing career in 2019 at McKendree College in Lebanon, Illinois, where he finished 22nd on the Bearcats’ all-time scoring list with 1,528 points. One of the school’s best all-around shooters, he drained 226 three-pointers in his career, which ranks sixth on the program’s career chart, while he connected on 86.2 percent (344 of 399) from the free throw line, which ranks fifth all-time at the school.
 
As a junior in 2017-18, Michael poured in a school-record 51 points in the school’s regular-season finale at Quincy on February 24, 2018, to break the 62-year-old school mark of 47 by Rich Herrin.
 
As a fifth-year senior in 2018-19, Michael led the Bearcats in multiple categories, including scoring (13.8 ppg.), 3-point field goals (66), free throw percentage (91.3), to go along with averages of 4.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 31.3 minutes per game. He also set the single season free throw percentage record, hitting on 91.3 percent (84-of-92) from the line.
 
A native of St. Joseph, Illinois, Michael finished as the career leader in 3-point field goals (192) at St. Joseph-Ogden High School with 1,244 points. He was a first team All-State selection as a senior in 2013-14, averaging 18 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists per game.
 
Michael’s father, Tom, who is currently the director of athletics at Eastern Illinois, played basketball at Illinois (1991-94) before spending 12 years (2001-14) in various roles at his alma mater.
 
Michael earned a bachelor’s degree in Psychology in May 2018 and an MBA in May 2019 from McKendree College. He received a Master’s degree in College Student Personnel and Intercollegiate Athletics in May 2021.